Nikolai Valuev defeated John Ruiz by unanimous decision Saturday in Berlin to win the WBA heavyweight championship of the world.
"I am pleased to have won the title back again," said the Russian Valuev, who is seven feet tall and weighed in at 317 pounds.
But while Valuev might be proud of having the belt, it's important to remember something: Owning the WBA world heavyweight title belt doesn't mean Valuev is the best heavyweight in the world. I don't know if even the people who run the WBA would say with a straight face that Valuev is the best heavyweight in the world. In boxing today, the individual sanctioning bodies' belts don't really mean much of anything.
What does mean something is The Ring ratings, which currently have Valuev as the fourth-best heavyweight and Ruiz as the ninth-best heavyweight. That makes me weep for the quality of the heavyweight division, but I'm prepared to go along with that. Just remember that until Valuev beats a Klitschko brother or Samuel Peter -- which he isn't going to do -- he's a champion in name only.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-31-2008 @ 9:23AM
Steve Vercelli said...
Want to know why boxing is on a respirator? MULTIPLE TITLES and TOO MANY WEIGHT DIVISIONS.
In Boxing's heyday, you had 8 divisions and one champ in each. Now, you have different weight divisions 3 and 4 pounds apart. What's next? A "belt" for every lb. or kg? Nine divisions are fine, thank you very much. The cruiserweight division, with a limit of about 195, could be added to the traditional 8 divisions (Heavy, lightheavy, middle, welter, light, feather, bantam, fly) since humans are getting bigger.
I don't buy that "mixed martial arts" is the real reason for Boxing's falloff in popularity for the simple reason that even MMA fans want to see the KO punch and not two guys grappling.
Also, get rid of all of the "show" that goes with a boxing match: The ridiculous intro walks to the ring, the posing, chest-thumping and preening. Put your energy and focus into the actual fighting.
Also, the 12-round distance for title fights is bull. Let's go back to the 15-rounders for WORLD TITLE recognition.
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8-31-2008 @ 11:58AM
Dan said...
I did not even know boxing was still around!
Does the boxing world realize nobody was watching?
Tyson was just entertainment and gave a reason to watch but the promoters are so foul like Don King nobody wants to make him a dime so nobody cares anymore.
Face it they signed their own death warrent with so many scams.
Pay per view boxing= NADA
I cant even beleive I am taking the time to write this.
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8-31-2008 @ 12:11PM
Frederick said...
I think boxing has not done a good job to adapting there sport to the times.
All the boxers are too technically good and and makes for mostly booring fights. Maybe go to 4mmin rounds or 15 rounds but things need to be revised
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9-02-2008 @ 1:58AM
Don said...
Yeah, kind of like your being a legitimate blogger in name only, huh? WBA Heavyweight champion might be meaningless in your eyes (Ring's rankings don't necessarily mean anything either as far as that goes), but it far outstrips anything most folks will ever accomplish in this world. To each his own, but you and others who'd ascribe to your narrow view would do well to tap into your own basic insignificance and be a bit less arrogant and dismissive in future.
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9-04-2008 @ 12:57PM
mike said...
The heavyweight division is terrible. Don King probably had a say in the judging of this fight, since Ruiz is washed up, and people will pay to see champions like Peter or Klitshko destroy the 7 ft. russian. The middleweight and welterweight division, and some light haevyweight fighters are at their best right now. Look for some good matchups in the months to come, HBO-PPV bouts.
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